‘Ah~, having to work at this crack of dawn.’
It was too obvious that money was needed to survive, but she still hated working itself.
Through a relative’s connection, she’d lucked into a part-time job at an underwater filming company—one of the few in the country, and the most famous at that. If she stuck with it, maybe it would guarantee her future. For now, though, she was stuck with endless odd ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) jobs.
Dragging her heavy feet, she headed to the filming site.
‘Was it idols today?’
Because this was the top underwater filming company, she had already seen plenty of celebrities—magazine shoots, dramas, commercials, even films.
So when she heard idols were coming, she didn’t feel much. For her, it was just another grueling workday beginning.
Entering with a gloomy expression, she went straight to her boss—who was also her uncle.
“Uncle, is the safety training finished?”
“Now you come and ask if the safety training is finished~? Hey! Didn’t I tell you to come quickly and learn more?!”
“Yes, yes, sorry. So today’s a shoot?”
“You sly brat.”
Her uncle glared briefly, then scratched his head roughly as if giving up.
“I set the schedule with extra time just in case, but the kids followed well so it ended quickly. They were all polite and easy to work with.”
Feeling guilty for having slacked off the past few days, she had come early, checked the supplies, and made sure the hot water worked.
Her part-time duties had nothing to do with safety—just trivial tasks—so she finished quickly, yawned, and collapsed onto the small office sofa.
“But I’m a little worried. One of the members seemed sick.”
“If he’s sick, why not just rest instead of pushing himself?”
“You! I liked that he was so hardworking!”
‘Tch. Just take it easy. Why make life so hard?’
It was a job where appearances mattered, wasn’t it? If you put on a show, there would be plenty of people to love you for it. Why suffer needlessly?
Still, she was sipping the hot lemon tea her uncle gave her as a reward when the idols scheduled for today arrived.
“Hello.”
“Hello! We’ll be in your care today!”
Maybe it was because it was a music video shoot, but their makeup looked heavier than usual. Yet among all the celebrities she had ever seen, they shone the brightest—
“Pfft!!”
“Hey, damn it!”
She sprayed the lemon tea before she could even finish the thought.
Her uncle recoiled in disgust, but she couldn’t spare him a glance.
“Cough, ah, shit...”
Standing right there was The Dawn.
That boy group tearing through the idol scene. Some even mocked them as “the miracle of a trash company.”
But that wasn’t why she was shocked.
‘I liked TEW!’
TEW.
They had walked a relatively smooth road, but after Shining Star Season 2 their momentum crashed, and they faded into obscurity.
It had only been half a year, but back then she had been a devoted fan. She had promoted them on the streets, even handing out candy to gather votes for Shining Star.
‘My Wonha...’
Her type had always been spoiled, arrogant brats.
The moment she saw TEW’s Jung Wonha, she had thought it was destiny. Then came the dating scandals and controversies, and she left K-pop entirely.
Still, her resentment toward The Dawn from Shining Star Season 2 had never faded.
Her eyes narrowed toward Seo Hoyun.
‘Tch.’
Whether it was a concept or not, he looked so pale his veins almost showed through.
And wasn’t their first-place win thanks to Seo Hoyun’s pitiful “family circumstances”?
‘Seriously. Annoying.’
Everyone had expected them to crash from backlash. Yet somehow, like leeches, they clung on and climbed higher—now even mentioned as candidates for this year’s grand prize.
As she was sizing them up critically, her uncle nudged her.
“Niece, don’t get distracted by their looks. Go help.”
“It’s not like that?!”
She yelled, but her uncle just laughed and went to the storage room. She followed to prepare equipment, but her ears stayed fixed on the idols outside.
“Feels cloudy today... I want fish cakes!”
“They don’t sell fish cakes in this season.”
“What if we boil some at the dorm?! Should we ask Hoyun-hyung too?”
“...Just hold it in. If you cook, even healthy people will get sick.”
Peeking through the door crack, she saw leader Kim Sunghyun bickering with maknae Jung Dajun. They actually looked close.
‘What was the latest rumor about The Dawn?’
Even after leaving fandom life, she still browsed online communities out of habit.
‘Ah, the discord rumors.’
WH Entertainment was notorious for tight security—even sasaengs couldn’t get close. Yet lately there were whispers.
Rumors that Seo Hoyun wasn’t living in the dorm.
He still attended schedules and looked the same on stage, but outside that, there were no sightings of him with the others.
Sensing juicy gossip to post later, she watched Seo Hoyun approach the set, while the others chatted in the waiting area.
“Hoyun-hyung, is he really okay? He’s like a half-conscious zombie...”
“We have to trust him. At least today’s the last shoot.”
“Didn’t he overdo it yesterday too? Why insist on going home instead of resting at the dorm?”
‘So it’s true he left the dorm.’
She fiddled with equipment, straining her ears.
Then main vocal Sung Jiwon, brushing back his brown hair, suggested carefully:
“Let’s wait and see. If it gets worse, we can take him to the hospital. But for now, like Sunghyun said, let’s believe him.”
“When has Hoyun-hyung ever admitted he wasn’t fine?”
‘They’ll blow-dry him anyway. Such fuss.’
Even if he soaked in cold water for filming, he’d be warmed up, dried, and pampered right after. She couldn’t understand their concern.
“Right, Ichae-hyung?”
Jung Dajun clung to red-haired rapper Kang Ichae, who answered curtly, annoyed.
“How should I know.”
“Huh?”
“He’ll handle it himself.”
“......”
“......”
His voice was so icy it gave chills even to her, eavesdropping.
‘So the discord rumors were true?’
She leaned in eagerly—
Splash!
A heavy sound of someone falling into the water. She turned to see Seo Hoyun gliding through, while WH staff filmed with cameras.
‘Wow, making it obvious now.’
She clicked her tongue.
He looked pale as death. Uploading footage like that would only get fans worked up, demanding “protect our artist” with hashtags. Best case, they’d spin it as him being professional. Either way, it was ridiculous.
“Good! That’s it!”
Despite his condition, the filming continued. Seo Hoyun dove again for the final cut.
“Eyes closed! That’s it!”
The MV director smiled and shouted:
“Seo Hoyun-ssi, now come up slowly!”
No response.
“Seo Hoyun-ssi?”
But Hoyun just sank, eyes closed, drifting lower.
“...Huh?”
He had reacted instantly to direction before—why not now?
“Uncle.”
Even with her personal dislike of The Dawn, she turned to her uncle, alarmed. His expression hardened as he signaled the staff.
“Quick! Gear up! We’re going in—”
At that moment—
Splashhhh—
Hoyun’s eyes snapped open. He shot up from the water.
“Whoa!”
Staff rushed over, pulling him out, wrapping him in towels, blasting heaters and dryers.
Dripping wet, he laughed playfully.
“Ahaha, surprised you?”
“Hey! Don’t joke like that!”
“Come on, just a little surprise.”
She would’ve cursed him as an airheaded idiot and moved on—but something gnawed at her.
‘Wasn’t he really unconscious just now?’
From months working here, she had learned to tell. If someone fakes fainting, they instinctively hold their breath. But bubbles had risen from him just then.
‘Hmm...’
Her eyes tracked him closely.
WH staff and the members sighed in relief. Kang Ichae smirked faintly, then stood up, forcing cheer.
“Come on, let’s power through the next shoot!”
“Let’s go!”
The atmosphere brightened. While all eyes turned to The Dawn, her uncle nudged her again.
“Take a fresh towel to him. And check if he’s really okay.”
“...Yeah.”
She gathered supplies and trudged toward the powder room.
“...Huh?”
The sound of water still ran, mixed with gagging noises.
Alarmed, she hurried.
Inside, Seo Hoyun, now in a black T-shirt, was bent over the sink, retching. He turned his head, locking eyes with her.
‘Gasp.’
His sharp gaze pierced her. Without makeup, he looked even paler.
She staggered back, but Hoyun straightened, wiping wet hair from his forehead.
“Do you have something to say?”
Polite tone—but cold.
“...What?”
As she faltered, he shut off the tap and leaned on the sink, still staring.
“You’ve been watching for a while.”
Her alarm bells screamed.
“A-ah, no! I-I just brought this towel for you...”
What now?
She had been too obvious, eavesdropping for gossip. She could say she stared because he was handsome—but if he complained formally...
“A-and also, I-I’m a fan?! A fan, you know!”
She blurted it out. Surely he wouldn’t be harsh if she claimed to be a fan.
“...A fan?”
He repeated softly.
“Noeul?”
“...Y-yes! Noeul!”
She nodded desperately. He tilted his head, gauging if it was true.
‘Damn. He’s not buying it. He’ll scold me.’
She thought of excusing herself later as a hater, but then his voice softened.
“...I swallowed too much water. I was gagging.”
“...What?”
“Felt like a few liters.”
The menace in his eyes vanished instantly.
Taking the towel, he smiled faintly.
“Tough morning for both of us, huh?”
“......”
“Thanks.”
And he walked past her out the door.
Left behind, she stared at the not-so-dirty powder room in silence.
Just minutes ago, she had been eager to dig up The Dawn’s discord rumors and post them online. But now, she didn’t feel like it.
She pulled out her hidden phone and searched The Dawn’s latest posts.
[Title: Seo Hoyun appearing on Woosung’s broadcast
Joo Woosung’s solo self-content LOOOLL
They look like they fight all the time but are actually super close
└Why, Woosung...
└Guess WH liked the Hawaii trip flavor
└└Business move
└└But this time he invited the members first..]
She typed, erased, typed again, but desire won. She posted:
[Title: Who called Seo Hoyun cute?
Everyone keeps saying he’s cute so I checked.
In real life, he’s scary as fuck,,,
But handsome.]
└Huh?? You saw him?
└LOLOL obvious bait
She never noticed the trickle of blood already running down the drain.
